Stella & Chewy’s LLC
Address: 2842 South 5th Court, Milwaukee
Year founded: 2013
Product or service offered: Stella & Chewy’s markets an expanding selection of dinners and treats for dogs, and dinners for cats, under the Stella & Chewy’s, Carnivore Crunch, and other brands. The company offers a premium family of products made with quality ingredients such as grass-fed beef, cage-free poultry, wild-caught fish, organic fruits and vegetables, probiotics, and vitamins and minerals.
Projected 2014 revenue: Not disclosed.
Founder and chairman: Marie Moody
Other key members of the leadership team: Jen Guzman, chief executive officer
Target clientele: Dog and cat owners seeking minimally-processed food – the way nature intended. All products provide raw food nutrition and taste that pets crave, much like they did in the wild.
Business organization memberships: American Pet Products Association, World Pet Association, North American Raw Pet Food Association, Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, Something Special From Wisconsin
What has fueled your company’s growth? “Much like consumers have proactively sought out differentiated, high-quality products to improve their own health and wellness, pet owners are looking to make healthy choices for their pets. This proactive approach to health is leading consumers to look into raw food nutrition for their pets and to try Stella & Chewy’s products. Recent product introductions, including our new line of frozen Dinner Morsels for dogs and cats, have also fueled continued growth. The company also recently introduced its new exotic Phenomenal Pheasant recipe in late 2013, expanding its line of exotic proteins. In addition, continued investments in marketing, including recently refreshed packaging, a growing array of point-of-purchase and merchandising support, a sampling program and increased marketing support have led to continued growth.”
What is the biggest obstacle to your company’s growth? “Our biggest challenge has been managing rapid growth and supporting our capital requirements. Stella & Chewy’s strong double-digit growth has led to continuing needs to build production capacity. After moving from a 13,000-square-foot facility to a 50,000-square-foot facility in late 2011, we broke ground in June 2014 on a new 164,000-square-foot home office and manufacturing facility in Oak Creek, to be completed in Q2 of 2015.”
Do you plan to make any changes in your company in the coming months? “In July, Stella & Chewy’s introduced our new Meal Mixers product line. Meal Mixers provide an easy and convenient way for kibble purchasers to mix in raw food nutrition into any meal.”
Who are the business people, locally or nationally, whom you admire? And what traits do those people exhibit that make you admire them? “When I decided to open up my own plant, I knew very little about manufacturing. I recognized that in order to succeed, I would have to find people with expertise not only in manufacturing but also in food safety and freeze drying. I’m very appreciative of how generous people were with their time, knowledge and support. In general, I admire people who are kind and generous of spirit and I have been fortunate to have met a number of these people both professionally and personally.”
What is the outlook for the business conditions of your industry over the next several months? “As consumers continue to proactively look for healthy choices for their pets, the market for raw pet food continues to thrive. The raw pet food market is growing at double-digit rates and is outpacing the overall pet food market. The outlook for Stella & Chewy’s is very positive as consumers continue to gravitate to brands that provide quality nutrition and taste pets crave.”
What is your company’s most important growth strategy right now? “A continued commitment to high product quality, strong relationships with our business partners, broad support of our brand in the marketplace, and education of consumers about the Stella & Chewy’s brand.”
